Majesty - Rebels

Nima : For seventeen years Majesty has been one of my most favourite bands, and honestly they have never put out a weak release in my opinion. Two years after the sturdy ‘Generation Steel’ vocalist/main man Tarek Maghary and his warriors again strike hard with their eight LP (the MetalForce album not included).

Majesty has always remained loyal to its “true” heavy metal sound and style, and has had its own recognizable sound ever since the legendary debut ‘Keep It True’ (2000), which also has a lot to do with Tarek’s distinctive voice and technique. But still – in my opinion – the band has never made the same records twice and has not only progressed with each record, but also developed its sound. ‘Rebels’ is no exception to that rule. The record was announced as “more intense, more powerful and more epic”, and as soon as the album bursts out with the sturdy battle hymn ‘Die Like Kings’ (which has been available online for a while now) after the intro, we get exactly that! My god is this song wonderful and utterly catchy. Powerful riffs, catchy verses, even catchier choruses, and a rather high headbanging-value; everything Majesty stands for, for the past two decades. And after that the album is one epic heavy metal Valhalla in the Majesty tradition, and we get speedy heavy/power metal smashers, sturdy pounders, epic passages, and of course a ballad (‘Across The Lightning’). This album simply doesn’t contain any weak moments, and with songs like ‘Fireheart’, ‘Iron Hill’, ‘Fighting Till The End’ and the aforementioned opener we have a few absolute highlights.

Altogether ‘Rebels’ is a typical Majesty album, and that also mean a lot of heavy metal clichés. And that is exactly what we want to hear for them. Furthermore it strikes me that the keyboards have gained more space, and that, together with the smooth and massive production shows a more commercial approach. But is that a bad thing? Not at all. Majesty is and will always be a “true” heavy metal band, and has simply delivered a sturdy record with ‘Rebels’, that will not only satisfy the old fans, but will also apply to a larger audience.